Star Trek: Not Losing Another
by SuperluminalM42
Summary: I bring back Jasmine Mudinia from my story "A Most Sureal Graduation." Ahida must rescue her best friend, from Starfleet Academy, from a brutal prison, before it's too late.


Captain's Log, stardate 9201.7. The Yorktown is underway. Earth, once years away at full impulse, is now only weeks away. That is if we can maintain warp two without flying apart. I'm forced to leave another crewmember behind. I can't bear to lose another, but Sickbay and a cargo hold full of dying crew, dictates I put the needs of the many, before the needs of the one. Somehow, someway, we will get her back.

Earth orbit eight weeks later.

Ahida Uhura, daughter of Spock and Nyota, was pressed by the growing crowd against the transparent aluminum of the observation deck. Across the cavernous space dock, Excelsior was going through refitting for it's next mission.

USS Yorktown would be arriving in minutes, returning from its own deep space mission. Starfleet had been extremely tight lipped about it's return. Rumours had leaked out. A massive attack by unknown aliens had nearly destroyed the ship. Guesses on the death toll ranged from a handful to three quarters of the crew.

The massive bay doors slowly slide open. A minute later Yorktown, guided by tractor beems, came into sight. Gasp's and exclamations rose up from the crowd.

"The bridge is completely gone."

"How is that nacele still connected?"

"Look at those hull breeches."

"It looks like it's held together by duct tape."

She watched as a gangway extended out and attached itself to the only operational air lock on the ships port side. The line at the turbolift was too long. Ahida raced down seven flights of stairs and arrived just as the first Yorktown crew stepped on to the station.

They looked tired and haggared. Some had the thousand yard stare. Ahida looked for familiar faces. Then she saw one.

"Chris," she called out. "Commander Albright."

The man turned and walked over and looked at Ahida as if he had never seen her before. Then he almost yelled out.

"You pointy eared little brat!" He wrapped his arms around her picked her up and sat her down. "How you been? I almost didn't recognize you. Staying out of trouble, I hope. You were like, three feet tall last time I saw you."

"I'm fine and I stay out of trouble, most of the time."

"I remember when you started walking. You gave us Red Shirts fits on the Enterprise. Sneaking out of your mamma's quarters and getting into stuff."

"Yeah, I remember. Jim threatened to put me in the brig when I was only a year and a half old." She glanced up the gangway. "I'm looking for Lt. Mudinia. Jasmine. We were friends at the academy." She saw the pained expression on his face. "Oh no! Please don't tell me she's..."

"No. She's...in prison."

"What? Where?"

""Tuhkazia Five."

"Never heard of it."

"You haven't missed much. Non Federation world. Humanoid, developed warp about twenty years ago. One of the most xenophobic, rude and uncaring culture's I've ever encountered."

"What happened?"

"Long story. Is that Andorian restraunt still open up on deck one oh two? I'm dying for some real food."

"Yeah, it's still there."

Once they were seated in the restraunt. Chris ordered and sat in silence for a minute before he spoke.

"They, whoever they were, hit us at midnight ship board time. First shot took out the bridge. We lost the entire bridge crew. Captain deSoto was in his quarters. Auxiliary Control took command. Jasmine was the tach officer on duty. She returned fire, but it was no good against their shields. We rerouted ships power to the phasers. She pored it on till she found a weak spot and drove them away."

"Warp was out, the dilitheum crystals had dechrystalized. We drifted for days before getting impulse up and running. We made it to Tuhkazia Five. The government has no formal relations with the Federation. They demanded we leave. But we had a systems failure and we're stuck. They reluctantly, gave us five days for repairs. We needed dilaium gas to rechrystalize the dilitheum matrix. They had it, but wanted no official dealings with Starfleet."

"Jasmine, as you may know, used to be a Mudd. Well, she used her um, skills to find some black marketeers who could supply us two canisters of dilaium gas. I went with her in a shuttle to pick up the shipment. While I was stowing the canisters away, she had to sign for it."

"On Tuhkazia, you don't sign with a pen, or a stylus or a thumb print. You sign by providing a DNA sample. Her uncle Harry had been there a couple of years ago and ran some scams on some of the prominent families there. Under their law, if they can't get the criminal, they settle for the nearest kin. In seconds she was identified as a Mudd and arrested. I barely made it back to the ship without being shot down."

"Surely the Captain tried to get her back." Ahida said.

"Captain deSoto spent two days in the capital city. They made it clear that her freedom was not up for negotiation. We had forty two dead, seventy nine badly injured. He had no choice but to leave."

"What's he doing now?"

"Talking to the Admiralty."

"I'm afraid that's not likely to accomplish much. The current Admiralty has trouble deciding what to have for breakfast."

"Is that a joke?"

"The truth." The waitress arrived with their food. Ahida thought for a long moment. "I'll go myself. I'm not losing another friend."

"You can't. The Tuhkazians don't want Starfleet poking around."

"I'll go as a civilian."

"You'll need a ship. One with firepower. And most civilian ships don't have enough. There are patrol ships all around the planet. If something went wrong, you may have to shoot your way out."

"I can get a ship. I have... connections."

"Well, if you're really gonna do this, count me in."

"No. Chris, you shouldn't get involved."

"I am already. I left her there in the first place. Besides someone needs to keep your pointy ears out of trouble."

"Agreed." Ahida got up from the table. "I'll contact you tomorrow. I have a lot to do."

Next Day

"Well you did come up with a nice little civilian yacht." Chris said as he walked up the cargo ramp. "But I don't see any weapons arrays and it looks as if it has minimal shielding."

"Looks can be decieving." Ahida replied. "Did you notice the registration number?"

"Two oh nine dash three one. So?"

"Thirty-one." Chris shrugged his shoulders. "Section 31."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding. There's no...such...thing..." Ahida was staring at him with that you better believe it look.

"I worked for them right out of the academy. Didn't know it at the time. I was assigned to the base on the Guardian planet. I worked with Kurzan Dax. They believed I had some connection with the Guardian. We were supposed to convince it to do Starfleets bidding. We got nowhere and the project was shut down after a few months. Anyway, come up front, show you what it's got."

Chris slid into the pilots seat in the small cockpit. He looked over the controls.

"Standard civilian controls. Where's the bells and whistles?"

"Watch this." Ahida said as she sat down in the co-pilots seat. "Computer, weapons console."

A holographic display of weapons control appeared.

"Neato torpedo" Chris said. "Forward, aft, multi-lateral, Z plus and minus. We can shoot going and coming."

"The arrays are in plain sight. Hidden by holographic projections."

"Hello?" A voice called from the cargo ramp. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Dr. Phalaun!" Ahida scrambled to the back of the ship. "Of course. Chris, this is Dr. Phalaun, she was Chief Medical Officer on the Excelsior during our deep space mission."

"You must be Commander Albright? Ahida told me you used to chase her around the Enterprise when she was a toddler."

"Yeah, she was a brat back then."

"We've got a long way to go." Ahida said. "Let's get under way."

Tuhkazia Five

Ahida and her tiny band of would be rescuer's, endured three days in orbit. Four surprise inspections by Customs and security officials. Questioning which bordered on harassment. Finally convinced that the ship was a harmless civilian yacht, they were granted permission to land at the main spaceport in the planets capital city.

Then two days in meetings with government officials before being granted a meeting with a low level bureaucrat in the Ministry of Prisons. Ahida and Dr. Phalaun were led by a secretary into the officials office and were left standing in front of his desk, without a word. The man behind the desk was preoccupied with his computer.

After a minute, he noticed them.

"Wow!" He exclaimed, as he got up and walked around his desk. "Those are some weird looking ears." He took Ahidas chin and turned her head back and forth. "I've never seen an alien up close before." Then he noticed Dr. Phalaun." Eww, what happened to your face?"

"I'm a Denebulan."

"Do all Denibiluns look like you?"

"Yes."

"Ya know, we have a holiday every year. Adults put on masks and scare children and steal their candy. You wouldn't need a mask. At least your friend here almost looks normal." He returned to his desk and continued what he was doing. After a moment Ahida cleared her throat and asked.

"Are you going to help us?"

"Oh, do you need something?"

No, Ahida thought, we just came here to be insulted. "Yes. I'm Jennifer Smith, a lawyer from Tau Ceti and this is Dr. Simone Kindra. We were hired by the Mudd clan to petition for the release of a member of their family: Jasmine Mudinia."

"Is it a prisoner?"

"Umm. Yes."

"We have a lot of prisoners, don't know it."

"Could you please look her up on your computer?"

"I suppose so." He just sat and stared at them.

"Well could you please do so?"

"Hmm. If you insist." For the next couple of minutes he poked on his computer screen. "Oh, I remember it now. Caused quite a stir. Crew member of that Federation starship we had to chase away a few months ago. Arrested for being related to a one Harry Mudd Jr. Mr. Mudd is wanted for a rather long list of crimes. It's assigned to to the telirium mine, Prison sixteen on our southern continent. Life sentence."

"Sentenced to life for being related to a criminal?"

"Listen, I don't know or care what your people do. But we are a civilized society."

"Ok. Is there any way to get her released?"

"There are two ways. Bring us Harry Mudd." I'd love to, she thought, but...

"His whereabouts are unknown."

"You can plead your case with the Prison Commission. Their next meeting is in three months. Then it'll take at least three months for them to make a decision. But, probably won't matter. Due to telirium poisoning, it's life expectancy is only six months. It'll die by then."

"Can we at least see her?"

"Sure." He turned his computer so that they could see her mug shot. "There it is."

"In person."

"Why didn't you say so." He pushed a button on his desk. "Heallamah, I'm sending these two things out to you. Fix them up with visitor passes for Prison sixteen. They desire a visitation with prisoner number 917189. Oh, let me warn you. These things are very rude."

Prison Number 16

Chris beamed Ahida and Dr. Phalaun to an area just outside the prisons main entrance. A shield prevented beaming into or out of the facility. They checked in with the main entrance. The guard made them wait outside while he made calls to the capital and conferred with the warden. Satisfied that they were authorized, he opened the entrance, turned to a young guard sitting behind him and said.

"Guard Number Four, take these things down to visitation. They're here to see prisoner 917189."

"First," No. 4 said, "I'll need a DNA sample to prove you entered the facility." He took a pad off his belt. After extracting samples from their finger tips. He stared intently at the read out for several seconds. "That's good. Neither of you, or your kin are wanted for anything here. I'd hate to have to lock you up. Follow me."

He led them down a corridor to a small room devided by a sheet of transparent aluminum. A small hole in its center would be the only way to communicate with the other side of the room.

"Sit down." No. 4 ordered. A few minutes later a door opened and Jasmine was shoved in followed by a big, burly guard. He pointed at a stool and ordered.

"Sit down." She sat down across from Ahida. Jasmine looked first at her friend, then made eye contact with No. 4, who hovered over Ahida's shoulder. She quickly looked down at the floor.

"Jasmine." Ahida whispered.

"Two seconds."

"What?"

"Two more seconds and I'd been safe on the shuttle and out of here."

"Are you alright?" The guard behind Jasmine made a low growling noise.

"I'm treated well." She said. "I get food, water, breaks and sleep." She was lying and Ahida knew it.

"Don't worry. I'm here with Chris. We're going to find some way to get you out." She looked up at the big guard and added."legally."

"What's that?" No. 4 yelled. He reached around Dr. Phalaun and snatched a tricorder from her hands.

She jumped up and got nose to nose with him. "It's just a medical tricorder. I was asked to come here to determine this woman's condition."

"Give it back to her." The other guard shouted through the hole. "It doesn't matter. This thing will be dead in a few days. Now, due to this violation. This visitation is over." He grabbed her by the arm and slung her across the room.

"Hey!" Ahida screamed. "You can't do that." In seconds, the guard dragged her from the room. Ahida turned and glared at No. 4.

"We can do anything we want." No.4 said. "She...it is just a thing. We can treat it anyway we want. Follow me, you must leave immediately."

He escorted them to the point where they had beamed in. He took the pad off his belt.

"I need samples to prove you have departed the facility."

Phalaun watched as Ahida offered her middle finger in the young man's face. She wondered if he understood the meaning. It was a common gesture in most humanoid culture's.

Phalaun offered her little finger to the guard. As he took her DNA he said, "We have a word in our language: care. The only reason we have it, is so we can put the words, I don't in front of it." He turned and walked away.

"What was that about?" Ahida asked.

"Oh, I think it was just a disgruntled guard blowing off steam."

Ahida flipped open her communicator. "Chris this is Ahida. We're ready for beam out."

As they stepped off the transporter pad, Dr. Phalaun held up her tricorder.

"I got what I needed." Phalaun said. "I have bad news and good news and a suggestion that may resolve the situation without resorting to extreme measures. When I interned on Denebula, I dealt with telirium poisoning. Lt. Mudinia is in the late stage's. I estimate she has two to three days to live. The good news, before death, she will lapse into a coma which will mimic death. If the prison will release her body, I can revive her. I'll have to get to her with in two hours."

Ahida thought for a moment. Then stepped back on to the transporter.

"Chris, send me back to the prison. I'll try to talk to the Warden. I'll pretend to apologise for the Doctors indiscretion. I'll keep in touch. Energize.

That afternoon, as prisoners were being marched back to their holding cell's. Guard No.4 grabbed Jasmine by the arm and led her back down the corridor and shoved her into a storage room. The other guards smiled, some snickered. They knew what was about to happen.

"Oh, these are the most exacerbating people I've ever encountered." Ahida shouted as she stepped off the transporter pad.

As Chris stepped away from the transporter controls and sat back down at the table where he and Dr. Phalaun were eating. He said, "Don't hold back, tell us what you really think."

"First off, they made me wait outside three hours eighteen minutes before I could see the Warden. Then he questioned me for thirty four minutes about why we wanted her body, where we were going to take it. What we intend to do with it. He even informed me that if we are going to eat it, we would have to leave the planet first. Cannibalism is illegal here. You know what they do with their dead? Trash. They dispose of their dead like trash. If one more person calls me a thing or an it, I'm going to take this ship and blow the hell out of that prison and let everyone go."

She spun around and punched the door to a storage locker, leaving a dent. When she realized her friends were staring at her. She steepled her fingers, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I apologise for that emotional outburst. I have bottled up my human side for too long. I've already lost one friend, I'm not losing another."

"Your emotions are understandable." Dr. Phalaun said. "Did the Warden agree to realease her body?"

"Yes. Seems it will save them the trouble of disposing of it. They're to bring her to the main entrance as soon as she dies."

"What are your plans?" Chris asked.

"I'm returning to the prison tonight. I'll remain outside the main entrance. Until it's time."

"I'll have a treatment ready as soon as you get her here." Phalaun said.

Ahida stepped on the transporter pad. "Chris, send me back."

Two days later, a thousand feet below where Ahida meditated outside the prison, Guards 3 and 4 carried Jasmine into what passed for an infirmary and threw her on a diagnostic bed. A person who passed as a prison doctor asked.

"What's wrong with this thing?"

"I think it's about to die." No. 3 said.

The doctor gave her a quick look over and announced.

"Yeah, its got thirty minutes or maybe an hour. Take it back. You might be able to get a little more work out of it."

They took her back to her work area. For the next several minutes Jasmine struggled with a shovel before collapsing face first to the dirt. No. 3 kick her twice. There was no response. He waved for their supervisor.

"What's the problem?" The supervisor asked when he walked up.

"I think this thing's dead." No. 3 said.

Then the supervisor knelt down and shook her vigorously.

"Yep, it's dead. Take it down to the incinerator and have it disposed of. No, wait. What is it's number?"

No. 4 rolled her over and looked at the front of her uniform.

"917189." He said.

"There's an alien thing up at the main entrance entrance waiting for this. Stuff it in an ore sack and take it to Level one."

After No.3 and 4 had placed Jasmine in the sack, No. 4 said.

"I can manage from here."

"Suit yourself. I didn't want to mess with that thing anyway."

Number 4 dragged her to a lift station. He pressed a button and waited.

A few minutes later the lift arrived and several prisoners and two guards got off. He then dragged her into the lift and closed the door.

After the lift started up, he knelt down and opened the sack. He reached in and caressed her face.

"When I first saw you." He whispered. "You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Even like this, I can't take my eyes off of you." He fought back a tear. "I'm so sorry. I should have done more." He felt the lift slowing and a computer voice announced.

"Level two, administration."

He stood up and composed himself. The door opened and two females stepped in.

"Eww...is that what I think it is?" One of them said.

"Yeah. There's an alien thing up there wanting to claim it." Four said.

"I wish the government wouldn't let those things on our planet. Why would it want a dead thing like this anyway?"

"Probably gonna eat it." The other woman snickered.

"Level one." The computer said. The door opened and the two woman scurried away.

Number Four dragged Jasmine to main entrance and got clearance to remove her from the facility.

He then dragged her out to where Ahida was waiting. He laid her at her feet. At the main entrance two guards watched intently. Number Four took the pad off his belt.

"I need a DNA sample to prove you took custody of the body." She offered up her little finger. The guard leaned in a little too close for comfort. Ahida was considering smacking him in the nose. Then he whispered.

"Jasmine told me that you're Starfleet. Is that true?" She thought, this is a trick. They don't want Starfleet here. In less than a second her mind ran through several scenarios. But when she looked in his eyes she saw, desperation.

"Yes. I'm Starfleet." She whispered.

"She said you are obligated to grant asylum requests."

"Yes."

"Then I hereby request asylum." She flipped open her communicator.

"Chris, this is Ahida."

"Go ahead."

"I have her. Three to beam out."

"Three?"

The guards watching nearby knew something was up. They drew their batons and rushed them.

"Chris, now." She screamed. She watched as the first guard swung his baton. Just before it made contact with the side of her face, she found herself standing on the transporter pad.

"What's he doing here?" Chris yelled as he leveled a phaser on the prison guard.

"It's OK." Ahida said. "I granted him asylum."

"Asylum? Ahida, this isn't a diplo..."

"No time for that." Phalaun said as she dropped to her knees beside Jasmine, and pulled the bag from around her face and began running a tricorder over her.

"Chris," Ahida said, "you may want to power up in case we need to get out of here fast."

"Right." Chris said as he bolted for the cockpit.

"We're not too late are we?" Ahida asked as she knelt across from Phalaun.

"I didn't take into account her weakened condition."

"She's dead." No.4 said as he knelt at her head.

"Not quite." Phalaun took a hypospray from her med kit and pressed it against the young woman's neck. She gasped, her eyes fluttered open, then closed.

"Wake up lieutenant." Phalaun shook her. There was no response. "OK, ten CC's cordrazine." Phalaun fixed another vile to the hypospray.

"Cordrazine!" Ahida exclaimed. "She'll be bouncing off the walls."

"I hope so." Phalaun pressed the hypospray and it hissed against her neck. Jasmine's eyes popped open and she sat straight up.

"Wow! What did you give me?" She saw Ahida and punched her arm. "Heedi, I knew you'd get me out of there. Now, where am I?"

She looked around and saw the guard. She flung her body at him. Ahida was ready to break up a fight. Then she realized, they were embracing each other tightly. Tears flowed from the guards eyes.

"I thought I had lost you." He sobbed.

"I told you Ahida would have a plan."

"Jaz?" Ahida asked. "What's going on?" Jasmine looked at her friend.

"This is Watash. He gave me extra food and even medicine. At great risk to himself. I wouldn't have survived with out him."

In the small cockpit, Chris switched on the comm.

"Port control, this is is Federation vessel two oh nine dash three one. Request departure clearance."

"Denied." Came the terse reply. "Power down, prepare to be boarded by port security."

"No problem." He called over his shoulder, "Ahida, get up here, we're gonna have company."

Two port patrol vehicles were parked in front of the ship. Chris threw a switch and the yacht floated in the air. Two officers were signaling for them to stand down. Just as Ahida slid into the copilot's seat, Chris gunned the yacht straight at the officers. She laughed outloud as the men scrambled out of the way.

Chris banked left, pulled up and headed for space, then banked right to avoid colliding with an incoming freighter.

"Federation vessel, you do not have departure clearance."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Chris said. "I must have misunderstood."

"What did you expect from a couple of its." Ahida shouted at the comm.

On the cockpits view screen, the bright green Tuhkazian sky was slowly growing darker as the ship neared space.

"Oh oh." Chris said. "Five patrol ships right in our flight path. They're armed with old fashioned phase cannons. They can cause problems if get too close."

"Computer." Ahida said. "Weapons console." The holographic controls appeared in front of her.

"Target their control thrusters. We don't want to kill anyone."

Ahida targeted the two nearest ships and fired. With surgical precision, she took out their thrusters. Two of the ships banked hard to get out of the way. The fifth dived towards the planet and pulled up hard. He was coming up fast from below the yacht.

"Oh no you don't." She shouted as she fired the Z minus phaser bank. She pumped her arm and yelled, " Gotcha." As she watched the ship spin out of control.

"Warp eight." Chris called out. He looked at Ahida who was still pumping her arm. "Neato torpedo. Girl that was some good shooting."

"Yeah. Not bad bad for an it, huh?"

"How's Jasmine?"

"Her and her boyfriend seem to be doing just fine."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes. I believe she is going to have a fascinating story tell us on the way home."

Two weeks later, Starfleet Medical

"Wake up, sleepy head." Ahida said as she and Watash entered Jasmine's hospital room. "Visiting hours."

"Hey guys." Jasmine said as she sat up. "Y'all just missed Dr. McCoy. He said I'm good to go. He's releasing me in the morning."

"That's great. I just gave your boyfriend the five credit tour of the city."

"Well," Jasmine asked, "what'd you think of San Fran?"

"Unbelievable." Watash said. "I never thought such a place could exist. So clean and I saw so many different things... sorry...beings. I couldn't keep count of them all."

"The Federation," Ahida said, " is the quintessential example of the Vulcan IDIC, Infinite Diversity in Infinant Combinations. It's not just our diversity that makes us great. It's the ability of billions of beings to come together, to get along, to tolerate, to bring together the best that thousands of worlds have to offer, that makes us great."

"There she goes." Jasmine said. "Being all Vulcan."

"I wish," Watash lamented "Tuhkazia had something positive to offer."

"It did," Ahida said. "It gave us you. If there is one person like you, there has to be more."

"Yeah." Jasmine said. "One day you may go back and discover that the whole planet has changed for the better."


End file.
